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THE PAST IS A SECRET COUNTRY

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From the award-winning short story writer and author of Invisible Thread and Under the Green Moon, a moving story of three sisters who find one another after being separated at birth.

Freya lives on a leaky, beautiful old houseboat near London and is fighting a custody battle with Neill, her unfaithful husband. She is trying hard to keep her life together and earn a living as a herbalist, while learning to trust in love again, when out of the blue a stranger turns up at her boat claiming to be her sister. But Connie’s an Aboriginal Australian, unlike Freya, who is fair-skinned. What’s more, Connie says they have another sister, Peggy, who lives in the remote desert region of Australia’s red centre. Through Connie, whose life changed dramatically when she was adopted by an American couple, Freya finally understands her discomfort with her own adoptive parents. The vivid dreams that haunt her begin to come into focus, for although she looks white, Freya has a heart that is ancient and wise. How did this happen? And who are the sisters’ real parents?

Ignoring the pressures to prove she is a capable mother, Freya knows she must travel to Australia to meet Peggy and learn more about her origins, before she can move forward with her life. With no expectations yet burning with curiosity, she embarks upon a physical and spiritual journey to an unknown and mysterious destination, and an unforgettable experience that will change her life forever.

Praise for Maree Giles:

‘Giles’ fluid style and genuine storytelling talent lends itself beautifully to this Australian version of To Kill a Mocking Bird’ – for Under the Green Moon

‘Compellingly written, this will move many readers’ – PUBLISHING NEWS – for The Past is a Secret Country